Lamar County is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

located in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

. As of the 2010 census, the population was 55,658. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

is Purvis. Named for

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar II (September 17, 1825January 23, 1893) was an American politician, diplomat, and jurist. A member of the Democratic Party, he represented Mississippi in both houses of Congress, served as the United States Secr ...

, the county was carved out of Marion County to the west in 1904. Lamar County is part of the

Hattiesburg Hattiesburg is a city in the U.S. state of Mississippi, located primarily in Forrest County (where it is the county seat and largest city) and extending west into Lamar County. The city population was 45,989 at the 2010 census, with the populat ...

, MS

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally Incorporated town, incorporate ...

. It is largely a rural county, except for its northeast quarter.

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.7%) is water.

Major highways

Interstate 59 Interstate 59 (I-59) is an Interstate Highway located in the southeastern United States. It is a north–south route that spans from a junction with I-10 and I-12 at Slidell, Louisiana, to a junction with I-24 near Wildwood, Georgia. The ...

* U.S. Highway 11 *

U.S. Highway 98 U.S. Route 98 (US 98) is an east–west United States Highway in the Southeastern United States that runs from western Mississippi to southern Florida. It was established in 1933 as a route between Pensacola, Florida, Pensacola and Apalachicola, F ...

Mississippi Highway 13 Mississippi Highway 13 (MS 13) is a state highway in Mississippi. It runs from north to south for , serving the counties of Forrest, Pearl River, Lamar, Marion, Jefferson Davis, Simpson, Rankin, Smith, Scott, and Leake. Route description MS ...

Mississippi Highway 42 Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Mississ ...

Mississippi Highway 44 Mississippi Highway 44 (MS 44) is a disconnected state highway comprising three segments in south-central Mississippi. The first, and longest, section runs from U.S. Highway 51 (US 51) in McComb to MS 27 near Topeka. The second, an ...

Adjacent counties

* Covington County (north) *

Forrest County Forrest County is located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2010 census, the population was 74,934. Its county seat and largest city is Hattiesburg. The county was created from Perry County in 1908 and named in honor of Nathan Bedfor ...

(east) *

Pearl River County Pearl River County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The population was 55,834 at the 2010 census. Its county seat is Poplarville. Pearl River County comprises the Picayune, MS Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is inc ...

(south) * Marion County (west) * Jefferson Davis County (northwest)

Demographics

2020 census

As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, there were 64,222 people, 22,116 households, and 15,584 families residing in the county.

2000 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2000, there were 39,070 people, 14,396 households, and 10,725 families residing in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was 79 people per square mile (30/km²). There were 15,433 housing units at an average density of 31 per square mile (12/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 85.34%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 12.90%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.17% Native American, 0.65%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.01%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, 0.30% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 0.64% from two or more races. 1.09% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race. Non-white residents of Lamar County are mostly, though not exclusively, found in urban West Hattiesburg. There were 14,396 households, out of which 38.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.60% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 11.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.50% were non-families. 20.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.11. In the county, the population was spread out, with 28.00% under the age of 18, 10.90% from 18 to 24, 30.40% from 25 to 44, 21.00% from 45 to 64, and 9.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.10 males. The median income for a household in the county was $37,628, and the median income for a family was $44,611. Males had a median income of $32,791 versus $22,260 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the county was $18,849. About 9.70% of families and 13.30% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 15.30% of those under age 18 and 17.00% of those age 65 or over. The wealthiest area of Lamar County is Oak Grove. Some celebrities reside in Oak Grove, like

Brett Favre Brett Lorenzo Favre ( ; born October 10, 1969) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons, primarily with the Green Bay Packers. Favre had 321 consecutive starts from 1992 to 20 ...

. Lamar County has the third highest per capita income in the State of Mississippi.

Politics

Lamar County, historically, is one of the most conservative counties in Mississippi. The county has voted for Republican presidential candidates with 60 percent or more of the vote in the past ten elections.

Government and infrastructure

The

Mississippi Department of Mental Health The Mississippi Department of Mental Health (DMH) is a state agency of Mississippi, headquartered in Suite 1101 of the Robert E. Lee Building in Jackson, Mississippi, Jackson.

operates the

South Mississippi State Hospital The South Mississippi State Hospital (SMSH) is an acute care regional psychiatric facility of the Mississippi Department of Mental Health located in unincorporated Lamar County, Mississippi, near Purvis. The institution's Crisis Intervention Cen ...

unincorporated Unincorporated may refer to: * Unincorporated area, land not governed by a local municipality * Unincorporated entity, a type of organization * Unincorporated territories of the United States, territories under U.S. jurisdiction, to which Congress ...

Lamar County, near Purvis.

Communities

Cities

(mostly in

) * Lumberton (partly in

) * Purvis (county seat)

Town

* Sumrall

Census-designated places

* Arnold Line *

Baxterville Baxterville is a census-designated place and unincorporated community in Lamar County, Mississippi. It is located in the southwestern portion of Lamar County along Mississippi Highway 13, southwest of Hattiesburg. The community has one school, ...

* Oak Grove * West Hattiesburg

Other unincorporated communities

Bellevue Bellevue means "beautiful view" in French. It may refer to: Placenames Australia * Bellevue, Western Australia * Bellevue Hill, New South Wales * Bellevue, Queensland * Bellevue, Glebe, an historic house in Sydney, New South Wales Canada ...

* Okahola * Oloh * Talowah

Education

School districts include: *

Hattiesburg Public School District The Hattiesburg School District was a public school district based in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, United States. Most of the district is located in Forrest County, but a small portion extends into Lamar County. Schools High schools *Hattiesburg ...

Lamar County School District The Lamar County School District (LCSD) is a public school district based in Purvis, Mississippi (USA). In addition to Purvis, the district also serves the town of Sumrall; the communities of Arnold Line, Baxterville, Lumberton, Oak Grove, a ...

Former school districts: *

Lumberton Public School District The Lumberton Public School District was a public school district based in Lumberton, Mississippi, United States. In addition to Lumberton, the district also served rural areas in southeastern Lamar and northeastern Pearl River counties. The dis ...

- Merged into the Lamar County district in 2018. The county is in the service area of

Pearl River Community College Pearl River Community College is a public community college in Poplarville, Mississippi. It was founded as Pearl River County Agricultural High School in 1909 and became the first junior college in Mississippi in 1921. Residents of Hancock, F ...

References

Links

Official City of Lumberton Business WebsiteLamar County Courthouse Pictures
{{authority control Mississippi counties Hattiesburg metropolitan area 1904 establishments in Mississippi Populated places established in 1904